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Partner Profile

Quad/Graphics Inc.
LocationSussex, WI
GoalQuad/Graphics Inc. pledges to reduce U.S. GHG emissions by 25 percent per page printed from 2003 to 2013.
Environmental Web Site exit EPA
Company Description
As the largest privately held printer of magazines, catalogs and direct mail in the world, Quad/Graphics serves a number of well-known clients, including Newsweek, Time, and National Geographic. The company provides full print-production services, from data services, design, and photography through printing, finishing, and distribution, and has 12,000 employees with $2 billion in annual sales.
Reasons for Joining Climate Leaders
Quad/Graphics understands that all aspects of its operations contribute to the company’s environmental footprint. Partnering with Climate Leaders has given Quad/Graphics the opportunity to quantify its impact on global climate change and initiate policies and efforts to reduce that impact. It also gives the company a format to explore and trend its greenhouse gas emissions for the first time and to implement strategies for reducing those emissions.

“Quad/Graphics continually demonstrates a business can be profitable while maintaining a commitment to the environment,” says Quad/Graphics President and CEO Joel Quadracci. “Becoming a Climate Leaders partner was a natural choice, building on our own long-standing and disciplined approach to reducing our impact on the environment.”
GHG Reductions Before Joining Climate Leaders
In 2002, Quad/Graphics converted more than 15,000 metal halide lighting fixtures in its manufacturing facilities to fluorescent technology. The changeover resulted in a reduction of 3,850 kilowatts of demand with a corresponding reduction of more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

In 2003, Quad/Graphics became the first corporation in the printing industry to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay(SM) Transport Partnership, a voluntary program formed to improve the environmental performance of freight shippers. While Quad/Graphics has been using emission-reducing and efficiency-enhancing methods in its distribution operations since the mid-1990s, utilizing SmartWay Transport’s recommended techniques has helped the company significantly reduce GHG emissions and improve the fuel efficiency of its ground freight transportation division. By switching over to aerodynamic trucks and implementing anti-idling technology, Quad/Graphics saved 866,436 gallons of fuel in 2005, or enough to fill 116 tanker trucks. The company’s initiatives also have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 9,617 tons, the annual equivalent GHG emissions of 1,748 vehicles.
Approach to GHG Management
After quantifying its GHG emissions, Quad/Graphics realized that an opportunity existed to take a more aggressive approach to energy management.

With the help of an Energy Advocacy Board, which meets regularly to recommend process enhancements and program changes and includes members appointed by each business area, the company continually improves its energy efficiency. The board seeks to identify, develop, and implement energy management programs that will be effective yet enable company staff to maintain their manufacturing capabilities and still meet customer expectations.

Quad/Graphics also supports further research and development of energy-efficient technologies and products, and it incorporates energy efficiency in its own product development and facility design. Quad/Graphics has partnered with industrial energy coalitions, utility companies, and regulatory agencies on energy issues, and the company also supports governmental energy efficiency policies.

Quad/Graphics’ approach has led the company to use renewable energy sources whenever feasible, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. At present, Quad/Graphics purchases 300 MWh of wind generated power per month for the corporate offices as part of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
Progress Towards Goal Completion
Realizing that a large amount of GHG emissions results from fossil fuel and electricity consumption, Quad/Graphics is focused on the following:

• Purchasing renewable energy. Quad/Graphics is already committed to purchasing renewable power as part of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership and is exploring opportunities to increase that amount.

• Continuing participation in the SmartWay program and installing new technologies for the company’s over-the-road operations.

• Exploring the use of alternative fuels for stationary sources.

• Continue installing new technologies at its manufacturing facilities to optimize energy usage.

Quad/Graphics has already seen a great deal of progress in saving energy and reducing GHG emissions as a result of direct input from the Energy Advocacy Board. In July 2006, Quad/Graphics printed 9.6 percent more pages per MMBTU of energy input compared with July 2005, with page counts up by 0.8 percent overall. Quad/Graphics has achieved a 3.2 percent reduction of normalized greenhouse gas emissions from 2003 to 2005. The company will continue to take advantage of technology to achieve its goals.

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